How to Repair a Rocking Toilet | Ask This Old House

Ask This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows host Kevin O’Connor several ways to troubleshoot a toilet that wobbles

Time: Less than an hour

Cost: $10 and Up

Skill Level: Beginner

Shopping List:
Plastic Shims

Steps:
1. Don’t overtighten the closet bolts, as the toilet can crack.
2. Ensure the closet flange is secured to the subfloor.
3. Use plastic toilet shims at the low points to keep the toilet level.

Resources:
All of the items Richard demonstrated, including closet flanges, wax rings, closet bolts, and toilet shims are available at home centers and plumbing supply stores.

About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

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How to Repair a Rocking Toilet | Ask This Old House

[ChefBoyareB]

So glad you suggested a wax ring and not those green foam rubber gaskets. Those things absorb water and squish it out like a sponge. They grow bacteria and stink over time.

[scallywag]

Don’t use coins to shim. Many household bathroom cleaners contain chlorine or other aggressive chemicals which will corrode the coins. Use composite or plastic shims.

[elaineperry]

Great video! I tried those plastic shims, but they were too thick so I used an old Delta medalian card. It worked well. You can't always get an airline seat upgrade with it, but who knew Silver medalian can get you to a first class porcelain throne ..

[talderson]

love the cutaway views. These guys are my heroes.

[sgower]

Tried this shimming trick and it worked. Just to test it, I used two quarters and the rocking stopped. May use plastic shims in the long run. Glad this video was available.

[jmay]

When the toilet's rockin, don't come a knockin.

[medic]

I’m 4 hours away from reinstalling my toilet after tiling. This is a bad omen if I’ve ever seen one hahahaha

[tedbrewer]

After replacing the same flange he has, the toilet sat and anchors good and even. After using it twice it rocks every direction and the rear of the toilet has a large amount of wax coming out. I should mention the user is about 350lbs. To mention the flange I used was the type with 3 screws inside the flange. The bottom of 1:39 flange is directly attached to the plywood floor.

[felicialloyd]

Thank you so much, this fixed my problem. Unlevel floor causing toilet to rock.

[Engineer]

Looks like a flextape commercial. I CUT THIS TOILET IN HALF!! 😜

[jerrycat]

I cut some aluminium pieces from a soda can to shim. Worked perfectly. Free tip.

[ThePhilandPam]

Definitely use plastic shims, some of those coins will corrode in a chlorine environment 👍

[aford]

Rockin' to the oldies just got a new meaning, huh?

[jbratt]

I bet I’m not the only one who has taken out an old toilet and looked at pieces of the old wax seal and thought that it was something else.

[pateman]

Steve lav uses cedar shims they work great

[orijimi]

What do you do if the flange is too high for the toilet?

[doloresw]

Thanks I recently replace my toilet and found it moves ever so slightly and needed to know what I could do the fix it.

[apocalypsegd]

Absolutely perfect explanation thanks !

[aford]

Has anyone ever seen a toilet bowl base secured with plastic bolts instead of the brass ones? I am replacing a toilet which was reset just a month ago and the plumber did this. Of course, the plastic bolts snapped right off from people plopping their rears down so hard when they used this toilet. Never saw such in use before and I just wondered if things had changed since I was a plumber's apprentice about 55 years back? I see plastic bolts for the toilet lids, but not for the base of the bowl. Just curious.

[jej]

I use mortar instead of shims.

It makes one big shim that conforms to the floor all the way around.